best of

Faves

Posted on January 9, 2013 Written by Tonya

1. Favorite 2012 Movie: Magic Mike… um, Matthew McConaughot AND Channing Tatum shirtless? Yes, please! (with Argo as a close 2nd)

2. Favorite Album: Away From the World – Dave Matthews Band

3. Favorite Song: Titanium by David Guetta featuring Sia

4. Favorite Tweeter: Too many to chose from! My favorite Facebooker is Galit Breen of These Little Waves because she posts engaging and thought provoking questions all the time that I just can’t help but respond to and follow along.

5. Favorite Blog: I read a ton (Farewell Stranger, Four Plus an Angel, Funny or Snot, In These Small Moments, Mommy of a Monster, My Time as Mom, Old Tweener, Reflections of Now, Sluiter Nation, Writing, Wishing, etc.) too hard to pick a favorite.

6. Favorite TV Show: Modern Family

7. Favorite Instagramer: iheartsunnydays, her (?) photos of every day objects and scenes are whimsical, fun and always give me pause.

8. Favorite Moment: 1) Earning my first freelance writing paycheck, 2) adding a puppy to our family, 3) thinking Lucas & I had seen the Space Shuttle Endeavor when it was still an hour away, 4) Todd texting me a picture of him meeting Dave Matthews.

9. Favorite Conference: N/A 🙁

10. Favorite Viral Video: Sesame Street: Share It Maybe

This post was written for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop Prompt #1 The ladies at MomSmack listed their top 10 faves of 2012 here. Use their list as a template and fill in your own answers!

My Best Of 2012

Posted on December 30, 2012 Written by Tonya

This time of the year is notorious for lists, round-ups, best ofs and worst ofs and like them or hate them, these lists tell us where we’ve been and show us where we’re going.

While I did launch my freelance writing career, which I am extremely proud of and grateful for, I didn’t write as much (only 125 new posts) on Letters For Lucas in 2012 as I would have liked and when I did, it was because I had to. My words needed to be expressed so that I might in some small way better understand myself, motherhood, my secondary infertility journey, the deaths of my parents, growing older, family dynamics, love, gratitude and the world around me. My favorite posts are the ones I write from the heart, edit like crazy and share with much trepidation.

Here is a list of my favorite Letters For Lucas posts in 2012. If you missed one or are new to my blog, please catch up and be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments!

Also, I encourage you to read the 46 incredible letters shared this year for my weekly series, Letters For You. I am so grateful for my guests and appreciate them sharing their touching words here.

My Best of 2012:

January – Ashes To Ashes, where I contemplate what to do with my parents ashes, which still remain in my closet.

February – I’m Still In Shock, an unfortunate and very messy pre potty training incident that still makes me cringe. If nothing else, check this post out for the after photo!

March – My Body, where I both praise and curse my body for it’s successes and failures.

April – You Know You’re A Writer When…, an exploration of what it means to be a blogger, writer or both.

May – We Are Enemies, one of the grittiest posts I’ve shared about wanting to meet Infertility in a dark alley and kicking the shit out of it.

June – 40 Things To Do While I’m 40, a list that requires both some revising and additions or at the very least an update post.

July – The Good Stuff, a raw admission that parents are not perfect.

August – This Time It’s Personal, a recap after a much needed blogging break, complete with photos.

September – Sound Off, where I stopped to listen and shared what I heard.

October – Beach Therapy, Lucas and my husband finally talked me into going camping and I had a blast!

Preserving Family History, with the help of my aunt and uncle, I share a brief history of my father and his family’s hardware store.

November – For The Love (& Hate) Of Facebook, an ode to my favorite ~~pastime~~ waste of time.

December – Blur, where I describe almost buying my deceased father a Christmas present.

I loved sifting through my blog archives to find my best post(s) for each month of 2012 and I hope you found something that resonated with you.

Wishing all my readers a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2013! May the New Year hold all kinds of wonderful for you and yours.

Linking up with Mommy of a Monster’s Best of 2012: My Favorite Posts of the Year.

Reflections

Posted on December 31, 2011 Written by Tonya

The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection. – Thomas Paine

As I took down our Christmas decorations yesterday, I thought about my year. As always, it was full of ups and downs, sweet memories and milestones, moments I wish could have lasted forever and days that I would never want to relive. All I could think is I hope 2012 has more of the same. Well maybe a few more ups than downs.

One of the many reasons I love having a blog is the chronicling of my life, which in large part revolves around my sweet boy, Lucas. Letters For Lucas is a place where I can share my thoughts and receive an abundance of support, no matter what the subject matter.

My 2011 recap would not be complete without mentioning my weekly series, Letters For You, which I launched in September. I am so proud to host this series and I’m constantly overwhelmed by its warm response.

This year, I attended my first two blog conferences and was finally able to meet many of the women that have meant so much to me in the blogging world and am pleased to now call IRL (in real life) friends.

I enjoyed going back and re-reading my 2011 posts and had a lot of fun choosing these photos and my favorites, all that I feel sum up my year.

Click each photo to find my favorite Letters For Lucas post from that month.

Please enjoy and however you choose to ring in the new year, be blessed.